Friendly Faces - Pt 2 - 6th annual REAL McRoll Thanksgiving marathon
by Mari217
Summary: Family is arriving for the holiday, DJ meets the Reyes branch in person and receives a special gift from someone who truly understands.


_Sammy & Ilna, I am so, so thankful for you._

_We are thankful to every REALMcRoller & Reader. Today & every day_

_Part 2 of the 6th Annual McRoll in the REAL World Thanksgiving Marathon_

* * *

**Friendly Faces **

Angie was bouncing on the sofa, chattering a mile a minute, and when the rental car stopped in the driveway she dropped to her tummy, slid down and ran to the door, smacking it with both palms.

"Open, Mommy! Joanie He'ew!" She swivelled and looked up at Steve, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Daddy, DJ, Joanie he'we!"

Catherine laughed and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I see, and you have to stand back a little so we can let them in." With a glance at DJ, who was leaning against Steve's side, she gave him an encouraging smile and opened the door.

Joan flew in first, all blond pigtails and pink with a Happy Thanksgiving decal on her shirt.

"Joanie!" Angie reached for her cousin with glee.

"Cousin Angie, you said my name!" She kneeled to hug the toddler and the level of little girl squeals had Catherine and Mary chuckling as they hugged hello. "She's been practicing," Catherine noted.

Aaron followed his wife and daughter with a smiling Deb on his arm. "Happy Thanksgiving, everyone." He saw the young boy who had taken Steve's hand smile when, as the family exchanged greetings and Mary scooped Angie up to fuss over her, Joan stepped up to him and Steve.

"Hi DJ!" She took a breath and kissed her uncle's cheek when he crouched next to her. "Hi Uncle Steve!" She wrapped her arms around his neck for a hug, then grinned at DJ. "Look, we're almost the same size," she said and stood up tall to pass a hand between the top of her own head and his forehead. "You're a little bigger but isn't it so cool we're both six?"

"Hi," DJ smiled softly and nodded. "Yeah."

"Do you like Chutes and Ladders? I forgot to ask you on Skype. Aunt Elizabeth and Uncle Joseph have it at their house. We can play it when we're there."

"I like that game," the dark eyes lit. "I won when I played at the library."

"Awesome. And we can play Rummikub with Grandma Ang. 'member me and my daddy told you about it on Skype? Grandma Ang is a really good teacher."

DJ looked from the exuberant, friendly girl to the other people he'd 'met' on the Skype call days before. All three were smiling at him, and the look on the face of the man with the broad smile was so warm and welcoming, he got a happy feeling in his chest. Smiling once more he nodded again, more enthusiastically. "I remember."

* * *

_Flashback_

"_...and this is my daddy, his name's Aaron," Joan pointed as she introduced him to the boy her parents had explained before the call would be staying with Uncle Steve, Aunt Cath and Cousin Angie._

_Aaron waved and said, "Hey, DJ, I'm really happy to meet you. We can't wait to see you when we come for Thanksgiving."_

"_We're all coming really soon!" Joan bubbled. "We're staying at Aunt Elizabeth and Uncle Joseph's house, but I'm gonna do sleep overs in Cousin Angie's room." She looked around at Deb who was seated between Mary and Aaron, while Joan stood front and center. "Wait til Aunt Deb makes you an ice cream soda, she makes the best ones. My fav'rite is with root beer and vanilla ice cream." She bounced on the balls of her feet. "Did you ever have one? Cause they're from back in the old days."_

_Deb laughed. "Thanks for that, darling. But Joan's right, DJ. Ice cream sodas were very popular back when I was little. You know, when we rode dinosaurs to school."_

_Her statement made both children laugh, and DJ looked at Steve to share a smile. "We had ice cream tonight. Chocolate and vanilla." He offered and Angie squealed, "We ha' ouse kweem An' Deb!"_

"_What's your favorite, DJ? I know Angie loves vanilla." Mary asked._

_He glanced at Steve again and said, "They're both good, but I like vanilla."_

_Catherine gently squeezed her husband's arm, knowing DJ chose vanilla after Steve said it was his favorite. _

"_Vanilla's yummy. So's chocolate. Strawberry's yummy, too," Joan listed. "The ice cream place Uncle Danno takes us to has blue ice cream named after Elsa. We'll go there when we're in Hawaii and you can taste it on a little spoon to see if you want that flavor, right Mama?"_

"_Right," Mary smiled. "But Joan hasn't tried a flavor she doesn't like yet."_

"_I'm gonna bring some stuff we can play with and ...oh! Grandma Ang can teach you Rummikub, that's a fun game. I'm getting better but I didn't beat her yet."_

"_Gwamma Ang pway," Angie confirmed and DJ took the little hand she held out in his own. "Ah de wum-kub wif Mommy, DJ!"_

"_Angie wants to play with us and Grandma Ang and Aunt Cath," Joan translated with a giggle. "You can sit on my lap and help me, Cousin Angie, okay?"_

"_Kay!" Angie threw up both arms. _

"_It's getting to be bath time, peanut," Mary reminded Joan, who groaned, but said, "Ohhhhkay, Mama. I gotta go, but we're coming there in ten sleeps."_

"_Good night, everyone," Catherine prompted Angie's blown kisses and everyone joined in. "See you soon!"_

_As the call ended, DJ looked at Catherine and said. "I remembered you said Joan's coming here with her Mom and Dad, but I forgot that wasn't Joan's grandma."_

"_Aunt Deb is Steve and Mary's aunt, so she's Angie's great aunt," she explained, "She's their dad's sister."_

"_Oh. She's nice." _

"_Mary lived with Aunt Deb until she grew up, so she's like another grandma for Joanie." Steve gave DJ's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "And she's a lot of fun."_

_Happy at the thought of a new friend, DJ nodded. "Joan looks fun, too."_

_Smiling broadly, Steve nodded. "She's a great kid, just like you. Just wait and see."_

* * *

**Present**

Aaron approached DJ first, once Joan and the little boy had a few minutes to get acquainted and she gave him a gift of a 3D building set that he was incredulous over. As Mary helped Angie pull a stuffed dolphin out of her own gift bag, Aaron knelt and said, "I thought you might like one of these." He presented a book to the wide-eyed six year old.

Steve and Catherine watched as their smiling brother-in-law sat on the floor next to Cammie and patted the rug next to him. When DJ opened the book, he startled happily at an image of himself with Steve, Catherine and Angie and Cammie - a screen capture from their Skype call.

"Wow, that's us! Look!" He held it up and they nodded. "That's awesome."

"Look at the next page," Aaron suggested, and there was a photo of his family, including Ramon, Sue and Deb. Alyssa's family was on the next page. Each successive page held a photo of Steve and Catherine's family. The Rollins with Grandma Ang and Smokey. Danny, Grace, Gabby, Scout and even Mister Hoppy. The Allens with Jess and Midnight, Chin and Kono with Leilani and Adam. The list went on and each person's name was labeled. Even Nonna and Danny's New Jersey relatives were accounted for.

DJ paged through it slowly and sniffed. "I …" he began and threw his arms around Aaron in a heartfelt hug. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

Aaron patted the boy's back and smiled. "There're a lot of people who you've met and even more who can't wait to meet you. I figured you could get to know everyone's names and all."

"Look, it's so many people!" DJ excitedly announced to Steve and Catherine.

"That's wonderful, honey. Aaron, thank you."

"He made that last weekend. It took him all day," Mary whispered to Steve.

"I helped pick the pictures," Joan said with a happy bounce.

Aaron smiled at Steve with a knowing look. Giving DJ a one-armed hug he said, "My dad made one of those for me when I was a little older than you. It was the first week we met. I'll tell you about it later if you'd like?"

DJ nodded happily and gently touched the image of Catherine on the page in his lap. Looking into the face of the man who clearly understood on a level he couldn't quite explain he nodded and said, "I'd like that. I'd like that a lot."

#_End. Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for Part 3 of the 6th annual REAL World Thanksgiving Marathon tomorrow_

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